Workers struggles

Demanding Justice For Workers of Maruti Suzuki Convicted to Life Imprisonment

The sessions court in Gurgaon on 18 March, 2017 sentenced 13 workers of Maruti Suzuki to life imprisonment for murder. Twelve of these are the erswhtile leaders of the Maruti Suzuki Workers’ Union. Eighteen others were sentenced from three to five years for rioting and causing grievous injury. Cases against these workers were filed in July 2012 after violence in company’s Manesar plant during which one official unfortunately lost his life. On company’s complaint police arrested 148 workers and charged them with conspiracy and killing the company official.
Continue reading →

Immediately release the political prisoners of class struggle

Fourth year in a row, the 36 Jailed Maruti Suzuki workers came to the Court for their hearing on APRIL 16TH . They are still in Jail since July 2012 without even having got bail.
The High Court earlier rejecting their bail plea had commented that “the reputation of India in the world has been lowered (by the workers actions). It should be ensured that foreign investment is not adversely affected”. 212 workers languish under the heavy hand of criminal cases, 2500 working class families have been almost reduced to destitution and continuous repression for daring to speak out and revolt. This state repression is daily growing in these industrial belts on behest of the capitalist class.
The ‘Great Indian Nation’ daily devours its people on the altar of the machine, the Dollar and the Rupee. The Judiciary, which manages the legality of the atrocity, is particularly savage when it comes to the toilers of the land or the ‘fringes’ from the land.
Only class solidarity dares to stand by in such times. Today the workers of the Maruti Gurgaon plant through its Union collected money from their salaries, and supported the family members of 36 jailed Maruti workers by offering Rs. 50,000 financial contribution to each of the families. The newly elected office bearers of Marutisuzuki Workersunion of Maruti Manesar plant including Union President Ajmer and General Secretary Daulat Ram, the union body of Maruti Powertrain and Suzuki Motorcycles, and the members of the provisional working committee, MSWU were present. All the workers and struggling Union representatives reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for justice for the jailed Maruti workers.

India – Bangalore’s garment workers raise an old cry for their rights and better wages

Nayantara Narayanan
“My salary is Rs 8,000 per month but I get Rs 6,500 in hand. It’s not enough,” said Tahseena who has worked as a tailor for six years at a company called Shahi Exports near Ramnagaram town in Karnataka. “I am not married and my mother does not have a strong constitution. I have the whole responsibility of running my house.”
“We need at least Rs 10,000 in hand if we need to cope with the inflated prices of everything now,” said Susheela, who works with Tahseena. “These days we buy pulses at some Rs 200 [per kilogram] and rice is Rs 60. How do we provide three square meals for our families?”
Susheela and Tahseena had travelled to Bangalore on their day off to take part in a rally by garment workers almost all of whom were women, and most of whom have had little education or technical training. The primary objective of the Garment and Textile Workers’ Union that organized the rally is to get the Karnataka government to raise the minimum wage for these unskilled workers to Rs 15,000. Continue reading →

Massive public meeting on the 10th anniversary of state terror against Honda workers

Show of unity and firm resolve
A massive public meeting was organized by the workers’ organisations in the industrial area of Gurgaon-Manesar, on 25th July, to mark the 10th anniversary of the barbaric state attack against the struggle of the workers of Honda Motorcycle and Scooters, Manesar. Office bearers, activists and thousands of men and women workers from more than 60 unions of industries located in the Gurgaon, Manesar, Rewari, Dharuheda, Baval and other locations, participated in this meeting. Continue reading →

Brutal Lathi Charge On Workers Outside Delhi Secretariat

Complete account of the brutal lathi charge on workers outside Delhi Secretariat on the orders of Kejriwal Government on March 25, 2015
by Abhinav Sinha, Countercurrents.org, 28 March, 2015

On 25th March, we witnessed one of the most brutal, probably the most brutal lathi charge on workers in Delhi in at least last 2 decades. It is noteworthy that this lathi-charge was ordered directly by Arvind Kejriwal, as some Police personnel casually mentioned when I was in Police custody. It might seem surprising to some people because formally the Delhi Police is under the Central Government. However, when I asked this question to the Police, they told me that for day-to-day law and order maintenance, the Police is obliged to follow the directives from the CM of Delhi, unless and until it is in contradiction with some directive/order of the Central Government. Continue reading →

77 former Maruti workers get bail

A court here on Tuesday granted bail to 77 then workers of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. who were jailed after they were involved in violence at the
company’s Manesar plant in July 2012.
Additional District and Sessions Judge S.K. Khanduja granted bail to the 77 workers.
A total of 148 workers were sent to jail after the July 18, 2012 violence at the company’s plant in Manesar, Haryana. The violence at the plant left human resource department head Ashwin Kumar Dev dead and over 50 people injured.
Two workers were earlier granted bail by the Supreme Court on February 23, a defence lawyer said.
“The court ordered the release of 77 workers on behalf of Rs.25,000 surety bond each,” defence counsel Monu Kuhar told IANS.
He said the rest of the jailed workers would also soon apply for bail.
The workers were arrested and sent to jail on charges of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.
The violence took place after a company supervisor allegedly abused and slapped a worker. Services of nearly 2,500 workers, including 546
permanent employees, were terminated after the incident.
Maruti declared a lockout for over a month, causing a loss of several crores of rupees.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/77-former-maruti-workers-get-bail-115031701244_1.html

Appeal to stand in support of working class struggles in Delhi-NCR – Issued by Labour Solidarity Forum

An appeal to all democratic and progressive individuals and organizations to stand up for justice and support the Maruti Suzuki workers’ struggle and other working class struggles in Delhi-NCR in all possible ways.
Incidents of industrial accidents, often fatal but seldom reported by the media, have been occurring almost every day in the Delhi-NCR industrial belt—leading to mounting worker unrest that is described by media as a ‘‘law and order’’ problem and is dealt by the police and state authorities with mounting repression. The more than two and a half year long struggle of Maruti Workers and the brutal state-corporate repression faced by them is also an indicator of the simmering unrest among the working class, directly emanating from neoliberal policy framework of the country. Continue reading →

ECL(Asansol-Durgapur) THIKA SRAMIK ADHIKAR UNION
Eleven number Contract labourers of Eastern Coalfields Limited are sitting at Indefinite Hunger Strike for implementation of new wage rate – Rs. 486 , Rs. 521, Rs. 556 and Rs. 592 and other terms and conditions mentioned in the recommendation of High Power Committee of Coal India Limited for all the contract labourers of Eastern Coalfields Limited including contractual Security Personnel and all type of surface workers from 10th November, 2014 infront of the CMD office of Eastern Coalfields Limited. On 18th February, 2013 General Manager (MP&IR), Coal India Limited issued an order to implement wage and other terms and conditioned mentioned in the recommendation of High Power Committee for all contract labourers of Coal Industry from 01/01/2013. Around 350 to 400 contract labourers from 30 to 35 collieries of 7 areas gathered on 10th November morning infront of the gate of Head Office(CMD Office), Sanctoria, Asansol, Burdwan. 11 contract labourers have started hunger strike along with slogan shouting and a rally. Continue reading →

Gurgaon: Protest Program and Rally Against Anti-Worker Labour Law Reforms

a press release by Workers Solidarity Centre, Gurgaon

Towards Forging United Struggle of Workers in the Industrial Belt

Workers Solidarity Centre (WSC), Gurgaon organized a Protest Program and March against pro-capitalist anti- worker changes in labour laws in Gurgaon this morning. Along with members of Workers Solidarity Centre Gurgaon, Union representatives from various Workers Unions in the industrial belt participated with a pledge to fight these ‘reforms’ brought by the Naredra Modi government which re-enforce already existing regime of exploitation and repression under which workers here and everywhere are forced to work and live everyday. Continue reading →

Delhi: Protest against labour reforms proposed by Rajasthan govt, June 18

JOIN PROTEST DEMONSTRATION
against the labour reforms proposed by the Rajasthan Government
BIKANER HOUSE, 18TH JUNE, 10 AM

The recent labour reforms introduced in Rajasthan seek to amend three crucial labour legislations – the Industrial Disputes Act, Contract Labour (Abolition and Regulation) Act and the Factories Act. Although the purported purpose of these reforms is to “create jobs”, in actuality what is sought is greater flexibility of labour markets and laws conducive to the easy flow of capital, ensuring for the corporate class a license for unbridled exploitation of the work force. Continue reading →